The Intern and the Assassin
by Keyblade Ninja 21
Summary: How the hell had this happened to her? All she had wanted to do was get Thor some normal clothes, buy some stuff for herself, and plan Jane's next date that hopefully wouldn't end in disaster. A tough to-do list to be sure, but Darcy was up to the task. She was good like that. What she hadn't expected was to come face to face with an unstable Winter Soldier.
1. Chapter 1

"I, Darcy Lewis, have been given an important mission," Darcy announced dramatically. She held her phone in front of her, recording herself. "This mission has been handed to me by none other than the Avengers themselves-" Her dramatic flair was ruined by the chuckling behind her, so she turned the camera to the person next to her. Thor's gigantic frame filled the camera, his smile wide as he watched her. Darcy turned the screen so her face was back in the frame, Thor's body behind her as they walked. "I am on a mission to find Rolling Thunder here," Darcy reached back to swat Thor on the arm gently, "a new wardrobe."

"A highly dangerous mission, without a doubt," Thor played along, face full of mock determination.

Darcy laughed, saving the video before putting her phone back into her jacket pocket. "You know, Thor," Darcy smiled. "You're alright when you're not fighting with your crazy brother, or fighting some enemy with the Avengers. You're actually pretty chill, way to go."

"Chill?" she heard him mumble behind her as she forced her way through the crowd. Thor had come to Earth to help with some crisis or another, there always seemed to be some kind of trouble, and he had decided to stay for a while since everything seemed to be going good out in space. Technically, he had come to see Jane, but Darcy supposed that herself and Erik were just an added bonus. He had decided to pry Jane away from her work for a while and go out on a _proper_ date that Darcy set up for them or else they never would. Darcy had made a quick call to Tony Stark (and wasn't that just the fucking coolest thing ever to have Iron Man on speed dial), so the restaurant Darcy had chosen was completely empty of other customers. The date hadn't ended well. The press had saw Thor go in and they had been invasively obnoxious from the outside, wanting an interview with "the Mighty Thor". In the end, Thor had to use Mew Mew to fly them away on the roof. All in all, Darcy considered the date a possible four out of ten, a defeat she wasn't taking lightly.

After that fiasco, Darcy had decided to take it upon herself to get the hammer wielder some normal "Midgard" clothes so he could blend in. How was she paying for this on an intern's salary (which was nothing, by the way)? Her bff Tony Stark. He let her borrow one of his credit cards and told her to "buy Point Break some damn normal clothes", and so it had begun.

Darcy had picked the middle of the week during the early afternoon hours to try and go to a nearby mall. She had hoped to cut out the typical nine-to-five workers and the kids in school, and it had kind of worked. However, the mall was still nearly packed beyond belief for a normal day. Erik had gone out shopping for some comfy sweat clothes for Thor to wear to go to the mall that day, so he blended in easier than his normal garb. He still drew lots of attention, but when he was that attractive, Darcy found it inevitable.

She had intended to go shopping _just_ for Thor... but she couldn't help it. A few quick stops for some lotion and smelly goods and some new bras (Thor was totally a good sport about it all), she pulled him into a large clothing store. "Alright, Thor, let's get you started with some pants," Darcy suggested while walking over to the men's clothing.

Thor went through some of the store's choices. He surprisingly took all of Earth's designs and styles in stride. He asked Darcy what some of the characters were on the shirts and some hats that were hanging on a wall, and Darcy explained and showed him videos when necessary. All in all, Thor decided on nice clothes that were plain and would serve best for him to "become one with the Midgardians". After shoving Thor into a dressing room, Darcy took videos of all the different outfits she made him try on. Yes, Darcy did make him try on some crazy clothes and accessories. And she had video proof. She was _so_ starting her own YouTube channel. She'd be famous within a week.

Almost an hour and a half later (and here Jane thought Darcy was picky), Thor finally decided on his clothes. He had six pairs of nice dark jeans, and about eight different shirts to match. Darcy had even found him some fancy clothes in case Tony held some kind of party or publicity thing.

"So what do you want to eat, Space Man? There's mostly fast food here," Darcy asked Thor, putting their dozen bags on a table in the large food court. People bustled about, most of them on their phones or walking in groups _in the middle of the hallway._ Darcy was totally glad that Thor was with her because people just couldn't miss him, and got out of their way as they had walked around. Plus, she hadn't gotten hit on by random dudes who think idiotic pick up lines would just magically sweep her off her feet. Maybe she'd bring Thor more often to go shopping.

"I'm not all familiar with your fast food, Darcy," Thor told her, looking around at all the options around them. "Would you mind finding something for me?"

Darcy faked a derisive scoff. "Oh, pulling the Royal Space Prince crap on me now, are ya?"

Thankfully Thor had been around her enough to know when she was joking, and he stood really tall with perfect posture. "Yes, my loyal subject. Now fetch me your Midgardian food, and ye shall be greatly rewarded," he ordered, cracking a smile.

Darcy bowed, laughing as she turned and headed towards one of the restaurants. She figured a chicken place would be alright. No way was she feeding him anything Taco Bell, she did not need to deal with the aftermath in their car. While ordering, Darcy figured about one of nearly everything would suit Thor's ravenous appetite. Seriously, he could out eat anyone. _Maybe I should sign him up for an eating competition and win some money._ The cashier had looked at her like Darcy was crazy or the girl had somehow misheard. After reassuring the girl that Darcy did in fact have money for all of the food, the girl finally got the order put in and told her to wait a while.

"I got you nearly one of everything," Darcy told Thor, sitting down at the table. "It'll be a while though."

He nodded and looked around, watching all the customers milling about, each lost in their own little world. Darcy spotted some girls that seemed to take particular interest in Thor, and she shot them the infamous Darcy Death Glare. She only busted that out on particularly rude assholes or children who didn't listen. The girls shot her an ugly look back and walked away. Darcy was fine with it, she didn't really want to deal with the paparazzi or people going insane over Thor. She missed those days in New Mexico when no one knew who he was and they could eat at a diner without all the fuss. Back when she thought he was a crazy hot homeless man that they had run over (and tased). Now he was just a hot superhero and a freaking Norse God! No big deal. Totally normal.

Darcy and Thor talked for a while about different things on Earth and Asgard. From what Thor had told her, it sounded amazing. She made him promise to take her phone with him next time and take pictures for her. When the food was finally finished, Darcy helped some of the workers to bring all the food out to them. Thankfully, they had grabbed two tables and had pushed them together because there was at least five trays filled to the brim with food.

"Alright, Thunder Boy, I'm running to the little girl's room, I'll be back. Eat until your heart's content," Darcy told him, grabbing her purse and heading to the bathroom.

Weaving through groups of people (seriously, why did they have to walk so damn slow in the middle?!) she finally made her way down the hallway in the back of the food court. She passed several parents with their young children, and a few people in business suits. The bathrooms were located in a dead end hallway. Walking inside the bathroom, Darcy was pleasantly surprised the bathroom was as clean as it was. Tan-ish tiles covered the floor, the walls were a nice cream color, with dark stall doors. The sink was, of course, covered in water, but Darcy could overlook that.

After doing her business, she was air drying her hands when the constant drone of sounds in the mall seemed to stop for a moment. Darcy hadn't noticed until the dryer had kicked off, but when it did, she paused for a moment.

This was a packed mall, in the middle of the day, and she was near the food court... There was no way the mall would be damn near silent. Suddenly, several gun shots echoed through the hall and the bathroom, making her flinch and drop to the floor to cover her head. Darcy could hear screams and shouts from back towards the food court.

Her heart pounded as she crawled to the corner of the bathroom that connected to the hallway. She shakily pulled out her mirror from her purse to peak around the corner. If she wasn't so scared, she'd pretend she was some secret agent or something trying to sneak around to gather information. The hallway was empty, but she could hear people in the bathrooms trying to keep their kids quiet, and trying to remain unfound.

 _Thor's out there,_ Darcy mentally gasped. What if he was shot? Oh God, what the hell was she going to do now? She pulled out her phone and dialed Tony. _Wait, could Thor even be hurt by bullets?_ she wondered, mid-dial.

"Greetings, Ms. Lewis, what may I do for you today?" the British, polite sounding AI answered her call.

"You can get Iron Man here, like yesterday, J," Darcy whispered quickly, looking back into the hallway again to see if it was still clear.

"It seems you are a few states away. It would take Mr. Stark a short while to get to your location, what is-"

Jarvis was cut off by more gunshots near the food court, making Darcy jump again. "Then send SHIELD, Jarvis. Please," Darcy choked out, trying to keep her voice down. Darcy had zero plans on dying on a semi-clean mall bathroom floor. Shakily, she pulled her taser out and held it close to her chest. She'd tase the first person that came her direction, she knew that for sure. If she could survive the giant, beam-shooting robot controlled by a crazy Norse god, then she could (hopefully) get through a mall takeover. _Please let me get through this._

"I've contacted SHIELD, Darcy. Please stay where you are at, and try to remain hidden," the AI informed her.

"Gotcha, no daring rescue plans," Darcy mumbled under her breath. She kept the phone against side of her head, and kept peaking around the corner. She knew it was probably a stupid thing to do. How many characters in movies had she made fun of for looking when they shouldn't? And here she was, doing the exact thing. But she had to know! She'd rather know what was coming than for it to be a surprise. She was a head on kind of girl that way.

The distinct sound of thunder and rain reached Darcy's ears and she couldn't help but grin. The idiots who decided to shoot up the mall were about to have a bad time. The sounds of a fight drifted down the hall to Darcy, as she crept around the corner to look again. A few more gunshots and screams had her jumping back to her small corner of safety in the bathroom. She heard some shouted demands to stand down, and heard the sound of everyone leaving the building.

"SHIELD has arrived, Darcy. Stay where you are and I will call Thor and have him get you," the AI told her as his end of the call went silent.

Sighing shakily, Darcy stood slowly and exited out of the call. This all would be over soon. All she had wanted to do was go shopping so Thor and Jane could go on a proper date... She was trying to be selfless here, universe! She supposed that's what she got for hanging out with superheroes and not-so-secret-anymore organizations. SHIELD, or at least what was left of it, had been trying to build itself back up after all that crap that had gone down with HYDRA.

She heard heavy footsteps outside in the hall running towards her hiding spot. That had to be Thor coming to get her. If he wasn't romantically with Jane, she'd probably throw herself at the big guy. Hell, she might anyway. She stashed her phone and taser in her coat pocket. "Hey, Thor, thanks for-" She froze as the person running directly at her grabbed her and threw her up against the wall, knife appearing from somewhere. Darcy froze as her chest heaved with short breaths, feeling the knife dig into her skin sharply. This was _definitely_ not Thor.

The man towered over her, his right arm pressed against her chest and neck to keep her up against the wall. His other hand held the sinister looking knife against her throat. His face was mostly covered in his long, messy, dark brown hair; but from what Darcy could tell, he was glaring at her like she was the most evil thing on the planet. He hadn't shaved in a few days if his dark scruff was any indicator.

"Please," Darcy wheezed with what little air she had. His only answer was to draw the knife back, preparing to kill her with it. Darcy felt her stomach do summersaults as she watched the blade.

"Darcy!" Thor's voice boomed through the hallway.

 _Oh, thank God!_ She had never been so happy to hear his voice in all her life. The man holding her jumped back, using his left hand to pull a gun from somewhere on his side. Coughing, Darcy caught herself on the wall and watched the man aim the gun at Thor now, knife still in his right hand. Before he could shoot, Darcy scrambled for her taser and pulled the trigger with a small squeak. One of the prongs hit the man in the back of the neck, the other just sticking in his jacket. He immediately tensed, back arching slightly, his body spasming until his legs gave out. His left arm jerked spastically, his hand curling and clenching painfully.

Suddenly, Mew Mew came flying down the hallway, whizzing past Darcy's face. The man quickly brought his left arm up, taking the brunt of the hit as he flew backwards and smacked into the end of the hallway. Darcy watched, still trying to slow her frantic breathing, as the man struggled to rise from the ground, pulling at the hammer uselessly.

"Are you alright, Darcy?" Thor asked, standing upright like the warrior he was, as he looked her over quickly.

"I think so," she muttered, still looking down the hall at the man. "You have incredible timing, Space Man. I'm just gonna sit here for a minute and try not to freak the hell out over almost getting my throat slashed open..."

Thor caught her as her legs began trembling and she nearly fell on her butt. "Breathe, Darcy. Deep breaths, copy me," Thor instructed, slowly inhaling and exhaling. Darcy nodded absently, watching his chest rise and fall slowly, trying to mimic him. After a couple moments, Darcy forced a smile, nodding that she was alright. Thor nodded at her and headed towards the man as she stood and ejected the cartridge from her taser. Before putting the thing back into her purse, Darcy kissed the thing gratefully: It was always reliable.

Darcy walked up behind Thor as he looked down at the man still trying to pry the hammer off his chest to no avail. He looked up at them wildly, eyes wide as he nearly snarled at them. He gave up trying to pull the hammer off of him, and grabbed another knife from his right side and held it close to him, ready to strike if they got close. He wore rumpled jeans, and a bulky jacket over a dark shirt, gloves covering his hands. His gun lay a few feet out of his reach.

"Identify yourself," Thor demanded, voice steely. He sounded like Prince of Asgard now. There was no response other than the man's harsh breathing as he still held the new knife in his right hand, the left resuming trying to pry at Mew Mew.

"It's not going to move, dude," Darcy told him. "Seriously, it's not moving unless _he_ -" Darcy cocked her heads towards Thor "-wants it to. Just tell us who you are? And why the hell you attacked me, because I take personal offense to that."

He stopped struggling for a second, watching them carefully for a few moments. Suspicion and paranoia written clearly on his face, like he thought they were lying to him somehow. Darcy looked at him closely for a second. He looked dangerous, of course, but he also looked...lost? Scared? Weary? She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was off with Mister Attack-Random-Girls-For-No-Reason. She was calling him 'Weapons' until she figured a better alternative.

Before they could ask any more questions, a male voice called out to them from all the way back by the food court. Thor and Darcy turned to see one of the mall managers walking towards them. Darcy noticed that a few others had begun peaking out of the bathrooms. "Is everyone alright?" the manager guy asked, addressing everyone in the hallway. A handful of adults hesitantly left the bathrooms, some of them holding children in their arms. "There is an emergency exit just down the hall, please exit through there," the manager told them calmly, gesturing the way. The people cried their thanks and immediately headed for the doors. "You two alright?" he asked, making his way to Darcy and Thor.

"Just peachy," Darcy answered, before her phone began to play some ACDC song. She shook her head, that _had_ to be Tony. And she was _so_ getting revenge for him messing with her phone settings without letting her know. "Hey, Tony."

"You know, a phone call to keep me updated on your wellbeing would have been appreciated," Tony announced dramatically. Darcy rolled her eyes, but she could hear the underlying relief in his voice. "Seriously, Jarvis tells me you're in trouble and then you don't even call to tell me you're alright. Thor wasn't answering his phone either, not sure why I provide phones for everyone if they just ignore me all the time. I'm hurt."

"And how do you know I'm okay, Tony?" Darcy asked, looking around, half expecting him to just appear.

There was a slight pause. "Mall cameras are easy to hack into, hardly a feat of genius for one such as myself. I'm watching you right now. Who's the dude on the floor?"

Darcy couldn't help her smile as she looked up to the ceilings for cameras and spotted the one pointed right at them from down the hall. She gave a slight wave. "Not sure yet, but he's not going anywhere until Thor lets him up." She looked around and saw Thor helping some of the people towards the exit. Some appeared to be jumpy and scared, while others were near catatonic. Thor smiled reassuringly, leading a father with a little girl outside.

"I see that- wait, what's that guy doing?" Tony asked suddenly.

"What guy?" Darcy asked, looking back towards Weapons and Mew Mew. The manager was standing near him, gun pointed at his head. Weapons watched the gun with wide eyes, desperately trying to wrestle Mew Mew from his chest with his left arm. "Thor! Mew Mew!" Darcy shouted over to him. Without questioning, Thor flung his arm out, the hammer instantly flying up and towards him, effectively knocking the manager backwards as he pulled the trigger. Darcy's ears rung at the sudden _bang,_ causing her to flinch and duck her head reflexively. The bullet broke through the tiles just above Weapons' head.

In one fluid motion, Weapons rolled to the side, pulled _another_ gun from his back somewhere and shot Manager Man in the head almost in an instant. Darcy noted his gun wasn't nearly as loud, instead only sounded like a quiet pop in comparison to the other shot. Darcy yelped as Manager Dude hit the floor like a sack of potatoes while his blood splattered, turning away from looking at the dead body. She _so_ did not need that image to haunt her in her nightmares.

Instead, she looked back over to Weapons through her hands which covered her face. He kept his gun trained on the dead man, while he assessed his surroundings from under his wild hair.

"Was he after you?" Darcy asked gently, trying not to spook the crazy guy. His gun instantly trained to her head, unwavering. Darcy put her hands up calmly, phone still in her hand. She heard Thor say her name from a handful of feet behind her, and she could hear Tony yelling something at her from her phone. "We're the good guys, we can help you," she told him, honestly. Her voice was shaky and wavered, but she tried to keep her calm.

Weapons looked back and forth from her to Thor, posture completely coiled to strike like a snake. The gun was in his left hand, the knife still in his right.

"You would do well to listen to Darcy," Thor's voice suggested without leaving much room for argument.

The gun immediately honed in on Thor as he slowly made his way forward. "Stay back," Weapons growled, his voice raspy and quiet. His chest was heaving quickly as he stood there.

"Put the weapon away and let us talk," Thor told him, shifting Mew Mew in his hands. Now that Weapons' focus was off of Darcy, she remained quiet and pretended she was invisible, but she didn't dare move. She had zero intentions on getting shot today, and she planned on keeping it that way. Clearly Weapons was unstable, but not completely out of his mind.

Thor made a step forward before Weapons panicked and shot at Thor a couple times. Thor threw Mew Mew at Weapons, the bullets hardly phasing him, and knocked Weapons back into the wall, the tiles fracturing out from the impact. Mew Mew and a now unconscious Weapons, fell to the floor in a heap.

"What the hell is happening?" Darcy asked no one in particular. "Can no one go shopping in this day and age without a crisis happening?"

Thor ignored her questions, not that she was looking for an answer anyway. She could hear Tony shouting on the other end of the phone still. Darcy put it back to her ear, watching Thor as he approached the dead manager guy.

"...ever scare me like that again! Do you even know-"

Turned out, it wasn't Tony on the phone, but Jane instead.

"You called Jane?!" Darcy exclaimed over the phone, knowing Tony was still on the line and had patched Jane through. "Look, Jane, everything's fine now-"

"Fine? _Fine?!_ You call that crazy maniac pulling a gun on you _fine?_ You're just lucky Thor was there-"

"Thanks a lot, Tony," Darcy grumbled.

"Hey, she called me and wanted to know how everything was going because you're on the news and neither Thor or you were picking up your phones. Well, _you're_ not on the news per say, but the situation. I just told her what was happening and patched her through to the feed," Tony defended himself.

"Just get back to the facility, would you?" Jane asked. "I'm not sure whether I want to smack you or hug you, Darcy. Just... get home."

Darcy smiled up at the camera and gave a slightly shaky thumbs up. "You got it, Boss. The hero and I will be back shortly." She heard Jane and Tony say goodbye before hanging up. She really needed a spa day, maybe even a spa week after all this crap. Definitely some alcohol, too. Maybe she could snatch some good stuff from Tony when they visited next.

"Darcy," Thor called for her attention. "This man is from SHIELD..."

"He is?" she asked, looking over through squinted eyes, trying not to look at the man's dead eyes that were still open, or the bullet hole in his forehead. Thor pulled a SHIELD badge from the man's pocket and showed her. "Okay, but... Steve kind of took over SHIELD, didn't he? Fury kind of...vanished off the grid, and Steve was just like unanimously voted for leader?"

"I think it's a bit more complicated than that, but from what I understood, yes," Thor nodded, standing once again. Darcy noticed that he looked strange all battle ready while wearing sweat clothes, especially when he called Mew Mew back to his hand. Yep, Mew Mew and sweat pants were a totally weird mixture.

"Well, Steve doesn't seem like the person that would send people to murder someone who's already down, especially not in the general public. Call me crazy, but I don't that's Captain America's style," Darcy told Thor, while looking back at Weapons' slumped form at the end of the hall.

"Perhaps he was HYDRA," Thor surmised. "But why was he after _him_?" Thor walked over to the man, while Darcy heard police sirens from outside the emergency exit. Thor picked him up by the jacket hood effortlessly, causing the rumpled fabric to rip in the shoulder seems. Silver glinted underneath his hoodie on the left side, and Thor ripped the fabric even more to see clearly. Reflective, silver plates shone bright in the mall lights. Thor checked his other arm, but it was normal.

"Oh my God!" Darcy gasped. Thor looked back and gave her a curious look. "I think that's the guy who attacked Steve and Nat a few months ago! That assassin guy with HYDRA."

"Are you sure?" Thor asked, looking back to the man being held aloft, still unconscious.

Darcy pursed her lips. "Pretty sure. There were videos on the news and YouTube about their fights, and then with the giant hellicarriers. Besides, how many people can have robotic left arms and can pull what he did?" Holy shit, maybe Darcy should have been freaking out a bit more... Yep. The post-panic reaction was definitely coming over her. The freaking _Winter Soldier_ had attacked her, and she was still alive to talk about it. Darcy hadn't known anything about him, except what Natasha had told her after the incident. And Darcy had only heard vague descriptions in passing, but if he was enough to scare Tasha...Jesus...

Thor picked the _freaking Winter Soldier_ up and hoisted him over his shoulder to carry him.

"You're bringing him with us?" Darcy exclaimed.

"Yes," Thor answered calmly. "He was running from SHIELD, or HYDRA, I do not know which, or if it is both. But he is dangerous, and taking him off the streets would be wise."

"Okay, that's fine and all, but what are we going to do with him?" Darcy asked. "Give him to SHIELD? What if they haven't found everyone who's HYDRA? _That guy_ clearly went unnoticed," Darcy pointed to the dead guy, "If he still had his SHIELD credentials, who else does? What if HYDRA end up taking him back?" This was all starting to give Darcy a migraine. That spa week was looking more and more like a viable option for her future.

"Then we keep him somewhere away from everyone," Thor said. "But where?"

Darcy shook her head. "I can't believe I'm having a discussion on where to stash the Winter Soldier like it's no big deal..." Darcy ran her fingers over her arm in thought.

"We would need somewhere secure to keep him," Thor continued. "Somewhere he could be watched and out of the public if people are hunting him down."

Darcy nodded, still trying just to roll with the insane situation. Then an idea struck her. "Who do we know with money, and influence, and a large building with limited access to people?" Darcy asked rhetorically. "Someone that can have 24 hour surveillance, and a secret room strong enough to hold someone, let's say, Hulk level strong?"

"Anthony?

Darcy nodded. "Tony. Let's just hope he likes surprises," Darcy sighed. Because this would be one hell of a surprise. "We need to get him there first, though. Any plans for that? We're a bit of a way from Stark Tower, and he's bound to wake up sooner or later. Plus we'll have to tell Jane, because you know she'll want to know who the strange dude is. And then she's totally gonna freak out..."

"We will handle it," Thor told her, completely sure of himself. Darcy wished she felt the same. "Now let's just get him back to the facility before anyone notices."

* * *

 **So here's a wintershock fic that was requested of me forever ago. I decided to put it on here, so I hope that you guys enjoy it! Reviews or any kind of feedback would be greatly appreciated! -K**


	2. Chapter 2

It turned out smuggling the freaking Winter Soldier out of the mall wasn't that hard. Most people were too worried about getting out of the mall, or they were being directed by the police to a safe place outside. The few that actually paid attention just thought Weapons was a normal guy Thor was helping to safety, which was sort of true. They were trying to help get Weapons out of danger and to Tony's, but Weapons was far from being a normal guy.

 _Holy crap, they had the freaking Winter Soldier just tossed into the backseat!_ Darcy kept thinking on repeat as she drove. Thor had stripped him of all his weapons, just a bunch of knives and a couple small guns, and placed him in the backseat. He was lying down on his stomach, arms crossed underneath him, with Mjolnir on his back. That would keep him still until they reached Tony's place. Knowing that didn't stop Darcy from looking in the review mirror every ten seconds, however, to make sure Weapons was still asleep.

"I hope Jane doesn't mind me stealing the car for a while," Darcy muttered to herself sarcastically, checking the lanes around her for cars. Just to be safe, she had Thor call Jane and explain what they were doing. Thor shook his head quickly, trying to hand the phone back to Darcy. "Dude, she already wants to strangle-hug me. You can smooth it over with her, and I'll talk with her… later." Later, like when Darcy knew Jane had calmed down and Darcy could unleash Thor's puppy dog eyes that worked remarkably well with most people. Mostly women, but Darcy had seen it work on some men, too.

Darcy could hear Jane nearly freaking out over the phone and she did not envy Thor as he told Jane the plan. After a few minutes, Thor was handing out the phone towards Darcy as she drove, a small sorry smile on his face eyes pleading. _Damn puppy dog eyes! My own weapon was not supposed to be used against me!_ Darcy thought, grabbing the phone with a sigh. She supposed the conversation over the phone would go slightly better than face to face. Maybe.

"Hey, Jane!" Darcy chirped, trying to sound like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Darcy Lewis, you drop the Winter Soldier, _who tried to kill you,_ off with SHIELD, and bring back my car!"

Wincing, Darcy held the phone away from her ear. "Don't you know you're not supposed to drive and talk on the phone at the same time?" By default, Thor was no longer allowed to drive. They had tried a couple times, and it hadn't turned out well. Either time.

Darcy heard Jane inhale slowly, exhaling even slower. "Darcy-"

"We're just taking him to Tony's, alright? He can stay there and won't be a danger to anyone, and he won't _be_ in danger. It'll be fine!" She hoped. She really, really hoped. "We'll call you after we get there."

"Just be careful," Jane grumbled begrudgingly after a few moments, knowing there wasn't much she could do since they were already on the way, and there was no changing Darcy's mind. "And I'm so getting you back for this!"

* * *

Darcy whipped into the parking lot for the newly constructed Avenger Tower, pulling into the special parking area for the Avengers or close friends. Who would've thought that Darcy would be one of those close friends? Well, Darcy did. She knew she was going places. Take that high school teachers!

"Welcome back, Darcy, Thor," Jarvis' voice called out as soon as she stepped out of the car.

"Hey, J!" Darcy smiled. "And thanks for the SHIELD help at the mall." She noticed Thor getting in the back seat to pick Weapons up. Thankfully, Weapons stayed asleep the whole way. Occasionally, he would twitch in his sleep, but he never woke. Maybe the universe had begun looking out for Darcy again. Helping him was scoring her some good karma, right?

"So… J…" Darcy began. "We've got a guest with us." Guest was definitely a loose term for Weapons, but it would work for now.

"Yes, I can see that," Jarvis said, somehow sarcastically. "Why is the Winter Soldier with you?"

Darcy motioned for Thor to explain, since getting Weapons away from the public was technically his idea. Darcy chimed in every now and then as Thor heaved Weapons onto his shoulder, heading for the elevator. Once they got there, the elevator opened but didn't move to ascend through the tower.

"I do not think it would be wise to allow him entrance without informing Mr. Stark first," Jarvis told them, not letting the elevator go.

"Please, Jarvis?" Darcy pleaded, fingers interlaced. "I don't think he's particularly dangerous if we don't provoke him, and here we can keep him contained if he is a threat," Darcy told the AI again. It had sounded like a good idea, she hadn't considered that Jarvis wouldn't let her. They were friends, or as much friends as they could be considering Jarvis wasn't physically a person. "I'll talk to Tony and-and… I'll take personal responsibility for him."

"As will I," Thor announced in what Darcy called his 'Avenger Voice'. "I will also speak with Anthony about this."

There was silence in the elevator. Darcy nearly held her breath, waiting for an answer.

"I will allow the Winter Soldier to be held in Mr. Stark's fifth lab. There is a chair with restraints strong enough to keep him contained," Jarvis told them, sounding hesitant. "You will call Mr. Stark right away and explain it to him."

Darcy fist pumped the air and grinned. "Thanks, J! I owe you. If you were corporeal, I'd kiss you."

"That will be unnecessary," Jarvis told her, although Darcy sensed a would-be smile from the AI.

The elevator finally closed and began its crawl up the tower slowly. Darcy wasn't sure how many floors there were in the tower, but the numbers kept climbing. Finally, the elevator stopped and opened into a large workshop of Tony's. There was an old desk against the wall, with several machines that Darcy had no idea what they did. Most of the surfaces were lightly covered in dust, like Tony hadn't used the space in a while. He probably had people, or robots, to keep it up every now and then since it didn't smell musty. The chair looked a bit like an operating chair with metal restraints that curved around the arms and legs.

Darcy paced as she stared at her phone while Thor messed with Weapons. Sure, her and Tony were bffs, but how would he react to her bringing a potentially dangerous (hopefully) ex-Hydra assassin into his home? Not that Weapons could do anything without Tony knowing, really, but it was the principle of the matter. "Suck it up, Darce," she told herself, standing taller. She was no chicken!

The phone ringed. And ringed.

And ringed.

Then finally went to voicemail!

A vague sense of dodging a bullet filled Darcy as she exhaled in relief. She didn't bother leaving a voicemail since Tony probably wouldn't listen to it anyway.

"He is secured to the chair," Thor told her, coming back to the other side of the room where Darcy had gone to make the call. "Did you get a hold of Anthony?"

She shook her head. "Nope. I'll try again in a bit," she told him, putting her phone back in her pocket.

"Then I will call Jane and tell her we made it," Thor nodded. Then he left the room, his clothes swishing. Wait… Shit! They totally abandoned all their stuff from the mall earlier! She had completely forgotten her- their- stuff after getting attacked and everything that happened. Well, damn.

* * *

Jarvis informed Darcy that Tony was at some expo for Stark Industries, and would be back later. Until then, Darcy paced in the lab, trying to figure a way to explain to Tony why she had brought Weapons into the tower. On one hand, Darcy knew Tony didn't like strangers in his tower. But on the other hand, Weapons was SHIELD's problem, technically. The tower was a sort of headquarters for SHIELD, so she supposed she kind of brought Weapons where he needed to go.

"Ugh," Darcy grumbled, shaking her head while looking over at Weapons. She was just going to tell Tony straight up what happened and let the chips fall where they may. While she waited for Thor to get back from talking with Jane, she walked around the lab and fiddled with little gadgets. She may not know what the gadgets did, but she knew fancy science equipment when she saw it. Thankfully, she didn't set anything on fire like the first time she visited Tony. That had been fun.

As she fiddled with things, she almost didn't hear the faint groaning from the other side of the room. Darcy whirled around once the noise registered, and she walked towards Weapons cautiously. He may be strapped down, but the man had a reputation for a reason and Darcy wasn't going to be the one to test it.

He didn't wake, but he still twitched, his head tossing occasionally. He was kind of handsome now that Darcy got a better look at him; now that he wasn't trying to kill her. However, he still looked a bit worse for wear, and more than a little homeless.

Darcy pulled up a chair nearby and sat down, waiting for him to wake up. She had seen his fear before Thor had knocked him out, so she hoped she could make him feel somewhat safe when he woke up. Although, if she were to wake to a strange place, strapped mechanically to a chair, she wasn't sure she'd feel safe. Darcy didn't exactly look threatening, so maybe that would help her case.

When Weapons did finally wake up, it was with very subtle movements; a twitch here and there to test his mobility and a slow intake of breath. Darcy had almost missed it while she played on her phone. Looking up, she met his eyes underneath his hair and she froze. Should she say something first? Or let him take a few minutes to himself before she started talking to him?

He watched her intensely, panic slowly clouding his face as he began to subtly test the metal restraints on the bed.

"You're safe," Darcy blurted, putting her phone away again. Then she wanted to face-palm herself. If that didn't sound like something a bad guy would tell someone… And she really couldn't guarantee he was safe. Maybe he'd be given to SHIELD and they'd kill him. She wasn't sure. "Well," she amended with a humorless chuckle, "you're safe for now anyway." _Oh my god, I want to smack myself._ "Why is everything I'm saying sounding like a horrible horror movie villain?!"

He watched her, confused. Darcy couldn't really blame him; she wasn't exactly being smooth. "You're not Hydra," he murmured, still hiding his face behind his hair.

"Nope!" Darcy answered, even though he didn't ask anything. "Do I look like some creepy Hydra agent?"

He didn't answer her, but he did a quick scan of the room, still watching beneath his hair. Darcy heard a small, resigned sigh from him. "You're SHIELD then."

"Uhh… not quite," Darcy told him, honestly. She wasn't SHIELD, not really. Jane and Erik worked for SHIELD now; Darcy wasn't on the payroll. She was working on it though. "Do… do you remember what happened at the mall?" He shot her a sardonic look, but remained quiet.

"Not one for talking, are you?" Darcy rambled. "That's okay. I can't imagine you'd be a chatty Kathy." She wracked her brain for something to say to fill the awkward silence. Before she could think of anything, Thor came back into the room. Weapons went stiff as a board, suddenly jerking his left arm to try and get free. Darcy flinched backwards at the quick movement, but exhaled when the restraints held.

"I'm glad you are awake," Thor greeted him neutrally. "I was afraid I hit you too hard with Mjolnir."

Weapons kept jerking in the chair, fear and panic clouding his features. "Let me go," he mumbled repeatedly, almost too quiet to hear. He continued to thrash around while Darcy and Thor glanced at each other, unsure what to do.

Thor looked ready to jump in to make sure Weapons didn't hurt himself in his thrashing, but Darcy shook her head. "Maybe wait outside," Darcy suggested. After a quick look at the chair, Thor nodded and headed back out of the room slowly. Wearily, Darcy watched as Weapons calmed down, the frantic yanking yielding to an unnatural stillness as he looked ahead at the door Thor left from. "Weapons?" Darcy asked quietly, nearly whispering.

He swung around to look at her, looking directly into her eyes from beneath his hair, before muttering in another language. If Darcy had to guess, it was probably Russian. She didn't know a lick of Russian, not even a hello or a yes or no. "Uh, I'm gonna go," she told him, jerking her thumb towards the door. "Try not to hurt yourself." She had to call Tony, anyhow, and since Weapons wasn't quite stable, she figured now was as good a time as any. She could practically feel his eyes following her, and it made the hairs on her arms stand up. Maybe she'd do some research on the Winter Soldier while she was at it.

* * *

Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. Soldier of the 107th Infantry Regiment, prisoner of war, a member of the Howling Commandos, and best friend to Steve Rogers…

He hadn't quite remembered exactly who he was yet, but he had recognized the holographic figure in the museum. He knew his face, even if he didn't know who he truly was. Granted, that James had looked confident, youthful, hopeful… He couldn't say if he looked like that anymore. He was no longer that person, and he was still fuzzy on when that had changed. Vaguely, he remembered a train, some kind of weird lab, pain and fear… lots of pain and fear. Then lots of nothing.

After seeing the man on the roof of the tall buildings, _something_ had made him pause. He hadn't been trained to pause. Then he saw the man on the highway again. The man had called out to him. _Bucky._ That was… _something._ He could feel his mind trying to remember, nearly making him scream in frustration. Or he would have, if they hadn't conditioned him to remain disconnected from emotions. Sometimes he slipped though; they never liked that. Flashes of the man flitted through his mind, although he looked significantly different in some of the random moments. Had he known the man somehow? Most of his earliest memories were his training and conditioning. But he could _feel_ that he knew the man somehow.

Then they had wiped him.

Again.

No matter how many times they wiped him, even if he didn't quite remember the exact procedure, a gut reaction told him it was very unpleasant.

After saving his latest mission, Captain America, he had immediately laid low, watching as Hydra was exposed and fell apart inside SHIELD. With a calculating mind, he knocked someone out to steal their clothes, and randomly picked people's pockets for money. He kept his head down, automatically taking the money he stole to buy him clothes from a run-down store near the outer part of town. Then he had to make a choice: Go back to Hydra, or remember who the hell he was.

Automatically, he decided to figure out who he was, why that man seemed familiar. Why _Bucky_ was familiar. If he didn't like what he found of his past then he'd go back to being no one. He'd be the Winter Soldier. It's what he was used to, after all.

He didn't like what he found out about himself after a trip to the packed museum. He was on edge, people wandering around aimlessly, shouting and yelling for children, speakers announcing program times and seating. It had almost been overwhelming at first, but he used his training to focus on his personal mission for information.

Honestly, he had seen the Captain America display first; his eyes roaming over what he found was the display for the Howling Commandos. He read the entries about them on the walls and small pedestals. They had fought against Nazis and Hydra, destroying bases and risking their lives to rid the world of the cruel organization.

Then he had saw his own face. Immediately, he searched for a name to go with the heroic form.

Sergeant Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes. That's who he was. He had wandered over to a nearby display, this one just for him. As he read, he recalled what little bits of memory he had, though they were mostly fragments that made no sense. He realized just how badly Hydra had messed with him, how far he had fallen. A rage he didn't think he had ever felt before slowly engulfed him until he wanted to rip something apart brutally. His training prevented him from snapping in that museum, but he knew he had to go. Where he didn't quite know, but he needed to get _away._ Away from the memories, away from his betrayal. Away from _him_ \- the old him with a future, with friends, with a life, and a name that wasn't associated with death.

He needed to be moving, finding places to stay under the radar. He didn't want to go back to Hydra, and what remnants were left of SHIELD would certainly be after him now. Even if he did save Captain America in a split second decision, that wouldn't count in his favor to help his case. He had been trying to kill the Captain in the first place. No, SHIELD would probably kill him on sight. If not, then they'd take him and lock him up where he would never see anything but four walls ever again. They might want him for information, but he didn't really know anything of Hydra. He was only briefly told his missions and he did them without question.

A couple months pass by in a tension filled daze. He was constantly looking over his shoulder wherever he went, convinced that everyone would know it was him. Convinced that what slim fragments of freedom he now had were going to be taken from him against his will at any second. He didn't sleep well, usually. Dreams and nightmares plagued by Hydra kept him awake for days at a time until he finally collapsed in exhaustion in alleys or in fields as he traveled. Those were his good days.

Memories of assassinations and missions came to him first, while memories of his past surfaced randomly if something triggered in his mind. It was both incredibly frustrating and comforting that the old memories wouldn't surface easily. Rage and guilt ate away at him without comparing his actions to his self from the past.

The bad days were the days he remembered.

Vague voices filtered through his mind. He wasn't sure if they were real or if they were from flashbacks of memories. Everything was always fuzzy after he blacked out. He expected to wake up in an alley, or an abandoned building of some sort. Then he remembered the mall, running for his life. He had tried to escape in the throng of people, but it hadn't worked. He recalled a tall man…with a hammer? Then a dark haired woman and a lingering sting of pain in his left arm.

Blinking his eyes open slowly, he saw a light above him, bright enough to leave spots in his vision when he blinked through his sleepy haze. Trying to move, he remembered he was strapped down again, similar to how Hydra would contain him. He was still too sleepy for that fact to make his heart race and let panic cloud his thoughts. What was the point? Realistically, he knew he couldn't hide forever. What difference did it make if he was caught now or months down the road? Although, he'd miss getting to do mundane things just because he wanted to. That part of being free had troubled him at first. Being able to do what he wanted, simply because he wanted to, and not because he was ordered. That had been one of the most liberating feelings he could remember feeling. It was bitter sweet, really: Then he'd remember why he hadn't been allowed to make decisions and the warm feeling would dissipate almost instantly.

The voices that he could hear from somewhere around him stopped making incoherent noise, leaving silence around him. Still trying to blink away the spots, he finally looked around again. This time, he saw the tall man again, the dark haired woman, and a shorter dark haired man who was talking animatedly to the previous two. He must have made a noise or moved, because they were all focused on him, and none of them looked particularly excited to see him awake.

* * *

 **Tadah! Chapter 2! Please leave a review and let me know what you guys think! I'd love some feedback! Thanks again for reading! -K**


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